The present invention relates to fireplaces. More particularly, the invention relates to a proximity warning system for a fireplace.
Fireplaces have become increasingly commonplace in homes, businesses, and other buildings. A fireplace provides benefits including the generation of heat as well as an aesthetically-pleasing arrangement of flames, sounds, and smells. A fireplaces is typically mounted in a wall of a structure and may include one or more doors that allow access to an interior area of the fireplace where combustion occurs for activities such as, for example, providing combustible material and lighting a fire, if the fireplace is a wood-burning fireplace, or for lighting the pilot and starting the flames, if the fireplace is a gas fireplace.
However, such access to the fireplace can create safety issues. For example, a person accessing the interior of the fireplace can be burned or otherwise injured by the flames. In addition, because the fireplace produces heat, it is possible for one or more exterior surfaces of the fireplace to become heated. These exterior surfaces of the fireplace also pose a risk of burns to individuals or damage to objects that come into contact with the surfaces. Current fireplace designs fail to provide a system or method to monitor an area surrounding a fireplace and to initiate an alarm when an individual or object enters an area proximate the fireplace that may be unsafe.
Thus, there is a need for a warning system that can generate an alarm when an object approaches a fireplace.
Generally, the present invention relates to fireplaces. More particularly, the invention relates to a proximity warning system for a fireplace.
In one aspect, the invention relates to a proximity warning system for a fireplace including a monitor module coupled to the fireplace, wherein the monitor module is configured to sense when an object enters a defined zone proximate to the fireplace, and an alarm module coupled to the monitor module to generate an alarm when the monitor module senses that the object has entered the defined zone.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a fireplace including a proximity warning system, the fireplace including an enclosure defining a combustion chamber and including at least one exposed surface, a plate coupled to the at least one exposed surface, wherein the plate includes a conductive area forming a first capacitor, a capacitance module, wherein the capacitance module is electrically coupled to the conductive area and includes a second capacitor that is tunable to match a capacitance of the first capacitor, and an alarm module electrically coupled to the capacitance module to generate an alarm when an object enters a defined zone proximate the fireplace and thereby cause the capacitance of the first capacitor to vary with respect to a capacitance of the second capacitor.
In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a fireplace including a proximity warning system, the fireplace including an enclosure defining a combustion chamber and including at least one exposed surface, an infrared light module for transmitting infrared light, a receiver module configured to receive reflected infrared light, and an alarm module coupled to the receiver module to generate an alarm when an object enters a defined zone proximate the fireplace and thereby causes the infrared light to reflect to the receiver module.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a proximity warning system for a fireplace including a means for sensing when an object enters a defined zone proximate to the fireplace, and a means for alarming when the object enters the defined zone.
In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a method for warning when an object approaches a fireplace, the method comprising steps of: providing a monitor module for monitoring when an object enters a defined zone proximate the fireplace; providing an alarm module coupled to the monitor module for generating an alarm when the object enters the defined zone; monitoring the defined zone; and generating an alarm when the object enters the defined zone.